For many dedicated social media users in Nigeria, the phrase “This one no be for civil servant” is far from unfamiliar.
It is a catchphrase used frequently by Abuja-based automobile dealer and CEO of Sarkin Mota Autos, Alamin Muhammad, who often employs it to troll—or some might say, mock—civil servants over their inability to afford the luxury vehicles he promotes in his advertising videos.
- For many dedicated social media users in Nigeria, the phrase “This one no be for civil servant” is far from unfamiliar.
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“Once upon a time, this car no be for civil servant o, but I no know if now dem fit afford am,” Muhammad quipped in a video while driving a vintage Volkswagen Beetle—another familiar dig at civil servants.
One of these videos has drawn the attention of the Federal Government through the National Orientation Agency (NOA), which, in a letter signed by its Director-General, Lanre Issa-Onilu on Monday, criticised the car dealer for being “condescending” towards civil servants.
In a recent video, Muhammad was seen in a 2023 Mercedes-Benz C300 featuring Artificial Intelligence (AI) functionalities. As part of his promotion, he asked, “Can civil servants afford you?” to which the car’s AI system responded, “No! Maybe in 2062.”
The dealer stated that the car costs “only N85 million.”
Civil servants in Nigeria currently earn a minimum wage of N70,000 per month. To afford the 2023 Mercedes-Benz C300, a minimum wage earner without any alternative source of income would need to work for 1,214 months—or approximately 101 years.
In the NOA’s statement condemning Muhammad’s style of using mockery to market his luxury vehicles, Issa-Onilu said it was inappropriate to subject civil servants to such ridicule “at a time when Nigerians are going through significant social pressure and in an environment where the get-rich-at-all-cost syndrome is pervasive and material things are being promoted above the dignity of labour and decent values.”
“To be a civil servant in Nigeria, as is the case in most countries around the world, is a very important role. Civil servants across sectors are the ones who work hard to provide the enabling environment for businesses like yours to thrive and prosper,” he said.
“It is therefore indecent to speak condescendingly about Nigerian civil servants who dedicate many years of their lives to driving the machinery of government, thereby enabling businesses like yours to succeed for the benefit of national development.”
The agency thus warned the auto dealer to be mindful of his choice of words when promoting his vehicles so as not to offend what it described as the “sensibilities of any segment of Nigerians.”
“We have taken the trouble to respond based on the feedback we are receiving from many people who have watched your video skit on the 2023 C300 Mercedes-Benz. Kindly take note.”
Will the Federal Government Punish Muhammad for His “Condescension” Towards Civil Servants?
Apart from issuing a warning, the NOA did not specify any actions it would take against Muhammad should he continue to mock civil servants in his videos.
Section 39 of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of expression, provides as follows: Every person shall be entitled to freedom of expression, including freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart ideas and information without interference.
Therefore, it remains unclear what mechanisms the government’s top agency for public orientation has to enforce its warning against Muhammad.
If the Abuja-based car dealer persists in trolling civil servants over their inability to afford luxury vehicles, the NOA might attempt to accuse him of cyberbullying under the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, and Enforcement) Act, 2015.
The Act, designed to address real cases of harmful online bullying and promote cybersecurity, has often been weaponised by government institutions and private individuals to silence critics—including journalists—who publish critical information.
In May 2024, EKO HOT BLOG reported the summary abduction of Daniel Ojukwu, an FIJ journalist, by the Nigeria Police Force.
The journalist’s family and FIJ management were unaware of his whereabouts for 48 hours after he was declared missing.
He was later moved to the Force Headquarters in Abuja, where the police initially resisted calls for his release.
They accused him of breaching the controversial Cybercrime Act over a report on alleged financial mismanagement in the office of Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs). He was illegally detained for over a week without charge or a remand order.
By May 2025—one year after his arrest—Ojukwu stated that the police continued to withhold his international passport “in violation of my fundamental human rights, effectively condemning me to being under house arrest as a prisoner in my home country.”
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Given that Muhammad’s luxury car adverts do not target any individual civil servant for harassment or bullying, it is uncertain how the Federal Government could legally invoke the Cybercrime Act—or any other law—to penalise him for continuing his trolling.
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